Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) announced today that its General Counsel, Chanthi Lune, has been appointed to a new role: General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Operations. This new role will make Lune one of seven women at the organization with the title of senior vice president and above, and she will join a leadership team composed almost entirely of women.
“Chanthi is an invaluable member of our team whose contributions have made it possible for all of us at the foundation to better serve our community and work toward our vision of an equitable, economically secure and vibrant future for all,” said Nicole Taylor, president and CEO of SVCF. “I’m excited to see Chanthi expand her role and bring her talents to the Operations team, where she can increase her impact across the organization.”
The appointment is not an internal promotion: Lune participated in a competitive executive search including external candidates. In her new role, she will oversee the Philanthropic Services division, which encompasses grants, gifts, scholarships and consulting services.
As General Counsel, Lune works as in-house legal counsel to SVCF’s board, executive leadership team and other team members on legal and risk management issues relating to general business practices and foundation matters. She has also managed a range of complex contractual, litigation, tax, regulatory and compliance matters and assists with foundation governance policies and practices.
Since joining SVCF in 2019, Lune has successfully completed several projects that further the foundation’s impact. Notably, she expanded the foundation’s ability to accept gifts of cryptocurrencies by engaging regulatory counsel, custodians and third-party institutional traders. She worked closely with staff, the foundation’s investment committee and external consultants to simplify donor pool options, with an overall mandate to invest through environmental, social, and corporate governance and diversity, equity, and inclusion lenses. Lune has also partnered with many donors and their advisors on complex gifts and grants.
“I am immensely proud of the work I have accomplished over the last three years as the community foundation’s first in-house counsel,” said Lune. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to take on additional leadership responsibilities and serve as the senior vice president of operations, which will allow me to continue driving change in our major operational functions to better serve our staff – who in turn will be better positioned to serve our communities.”
Prior to joining SVCF, Lune worked for Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in its philanthropic practice group, which helps nonprofits and other social impact-oriented organizations solve strategic, administrative and development challenges. Previously, she served as a finance, investment and administration director for a private foundation focused on positive youth development and poverty alleviation. Chanthi received her J.D./MBA from Gonzaga University and is a member of the California Bar.
